The cultivators were all rushing towards the place Wu Shuhui was, but they were all caught off guard when a curtain of darkness descended where they were. With their sight hindered, they stopped from taking any unnecessary action.
Their formation was quite interesting. They were banded together with five team members per team, in other words, their own members. It showed that even inside the Fire Labyrinth, there were some unresolved problems between them, that would not let them to fully cooperate with each other.
The world was a cruel place, after all. They just witnessed how the almighty Blazing Phoenix Sect got destroyed from within by a betrayal. A colossus existence like that sect, reduced to mere ashes of what it was before. About fifty of their strongest figures died because of this conflict, reducing them to the bottom ranks, it is a number enough to shake their foundation. They are for sure, not the third strongest nation right now.
It reminded them to only trust themselves and do their work as commanded. They have already been handsomely paid, so it was better to maintain some distance between the other factions.
Inside that dark environment, they were only able to see up to three meters in front of them. The only way they could tell where the other people actually were, was using their senses to lock on the aura of the other practitioners. Although it gave them more security to feel each other's auras, there was a fearful sensation spreading on their hearts.
Seth saw that his enemies were perfectly entrapped and chose a specific group to be his first prey. He had his eyes on them since the beginning.
The people lost inside the dark fog, were all Qi Transformation late-stage to Mana Perception initial-stage realm, they were trying with their all to dispel the darkness around, but they were just not strong enough to.
Seth eyes glinted with a blue hue as his Hades arts were put to good use. The cultivators from the Alchemist Tower were already fearing this eerie environment, and the seed of fear inside their hearts turned into a huge monster that affected their minds and soul. Seth had successfully cursed them with fear.
The Qi or Mana gathered around those practitioners was dispelled, since they could not control it anymore. Like defenseless lambs, they were all gathered together, without a single bit of any protective energy to save them.
Seth didn't waste his precious time. He used his movement abilities to appear near them, prepared to reap their lives. He made a sharp blade of darkness appear around his arm, not even bothering to waste a lot of mana in order to guarantee that it would be powerful enough to pass through their defenses, since they had none.
A severed head flew, but no scream echoed, not even the friends of that alchemist were able to scream. The fear he inflicted on them directly affected their souls, puny mortal souls without a single bit of strength. An inheritance from a god that had soul attacks as its specialty, was just too much for them.
A second head flew. One after the other, the five alchemists from the Alchemist Tower were beheaded with clean cuts.
The people still alive inside the dark environment started to tremble even more. They didn't hear a single sound from those alchemists, yet they were all dead. They felt their aura disappearing as if they had suicided.
The hunters and mercenaries threw away their divergencies and banded together. The ten practitioners then, started to retreat, however, they didn't even know what was north or south right now.
Seth didn't bother with them, for now, he retrieved the spatial rings on the bodies of those dead alchemists and checked the contents.
"I guess it will help." Seth turned his hands and the rings disappeared. They were swallowed by his darkness, vanishing from this place.
.
.
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Huo Shihong was at a loss. Actually, there was no one more at a loss than him right now. First, he lost his dear brother, then, his Blazing Phoenix Sect lost the loyal elders, that died protecting their sect and honor. He killed those who betrayed him, going as far as even killing his own half-brother. He sacrificed and arm to achieve that and ended up losing a leg right after. When he finally resigned his life up to fate, he was saved by a demon, who called him father-in-law. At the ended he even lost his precious daughter.
He felt like his body entered a black tunnel, where no light could penetrate, however, seconds later he emerged right in front of two people.
Huo Yuyin saw her father raising from the shadows on the ground, and recognized it, as being the same kind of power that her big brother Seth used to vanish some minutes before. When she saw the condition that her father was, her ever merry and cheerful attitude crumbled and tears kept unstoppably falling.
"Dad! Ahhh! What happened with you?"
Huo Shihong saw Lilian and Yuyin approaching him and finally got some peace of mind. At least they were fine.
"Father!"
"Cough! Argh. Do not worry... Cough! I'm alive, at least."
"Father what happened with you?" Even Lilian started to cry for the second time today.
"I was prepared for this, since it was a war. Instead of worrying about me, you should escape from here before they catch up with us." Huo Shihong didn't believe that Seth would be able to hold them for much longer.
Lilian and Yuyin were trying to help healing their father injuries, using all the Qi they had to stabilize his condition.
"I just hope that your boyfriend is able to escape as well. His cultivation is not enough to fight against them all." Huo Shihong sighed with bitterness, thinking about that his daughter fell in love with a hundred years old plus demon. He would never believe that Seth was actually eighteen.
"Boyfriend?" Lilian asked confused. She got a bit embarrassed too, but it wasn't time for her to be like that now.
"Hm? He called me father-in-law, there is no need for you to hide it from me. At least he is loyal to you, and is able to put his life on the line for our sect, even though he is a demon." Sect Master Huo didn't know how to feel about that individual.
"What do you mean? Isn't he okay?" Lilian felt a sense of dread. Her insecurities spiked up after hearing about Seth.
"He is fighting alone against more than twenty strong cultivators. It will be difficult for him to survive."
"Father, I must go check on him." Lilian felt the same feelings when she saw her father fighting for his life. The feeling that she was about to lose someone important. Her heart was screaming for her to go, only at a time like this, she realized how important he has become on these past weeks they were together. She even started to question herself if she had fallen in love, only to deny right after, since she never felt it before.
"No! You can't! You'll be throwing your life away." Huo Shihong could not tolerate to lose another important person for him.
"Father, I already steeled my heart when making the decision to leave you behind and escape with Yuyin, do not make me have to pass through that though dilemma again."
Just as he was going to reprimand her again, four rings surged from the floor, just like him. Seth sent them over for Huo Shihong, however, he made sure to keep one for himself.
"Those are... spatial rings from those alchemist traitors!" Huo Shihong watched dumbfounded, it would be impossible to steal those rings from them without a fight.
'Impossible! Are they dead?' Shihong kept thinking.
Yuyin took the rings and threw everything that was inside on the floor. A mountain of pills fell from them.
Their eyes sparkled while seeing them. Lilian quickly separated some pills that would help her father and gave them to him.
Huo Shihong didn't think twice before swallowing them. His injuries all closed and his Mana started to recuperate.
"Father, don't try to stop me. I'll go even if it is dangerous." Lilian looked towards Huo Shihong, and there was a decisive glint on her eyes.
Huo Shihong was about to berate her, but he stopped when he heard Yuyin's voice.
"Dad, please let sis go. Sis, I'll stay here with dad and treat him."
Lilian looked towards her adorable little sister and gave a mild laugh.
"Thank you Yuyin." Lilian turned and left towards the battlefield, her red hair fluttering in the air, as she vanished from their field of vision.
"No!" Huo Shihong tried to stand up with a single arm and leg.
"Stop! Where do you think you're going?" Yuyin said with a fake angry expression. She slapped him back to the ground and pointed a finger towards him.
"You're not moving unless all your injuries are completely healed!"
Huo Shihong looked at her dumbfounded. He was being berated by his little daughter; his little precious angel was pointing a finger at him, preventing him from even moving. Every single thing that happened today has left him speechless.
He ruefully laughed and accepted his predicament; the events so far have been too ridiculous.
Lilian was using all her Qi to run the fastest she could, all she thought was about Seth's security.
'Seth, please, be well.'
On her hand, she was holding her most precious treasure. A Phoenix hairpin that her mother left behind for her.. It was a protective treasure that she would never part with, lest it was with a person she really loved.
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